Quade Cooper - The most important player in Australian Rugby

[vidiot]

Haven't watched the game

Uh-huh

this may not be the right thread

Affirmative

Daley and Slipper

Slipper is still broken, as is Daley.

But you know what - I agree. Run Daley and yesterday and the scrum would have been more sucky but we would have gained in a couple of areas we sucked most. In this game.

It's not controversial to say that Daley is a good carrier, tackler and competitor at the breakdown. And he would have been adequate in scrummaging against Samoa.

But he was injured and we know what he brings anyway. Trying to find a functional front row from the rest meant it was useful to see Alexander and Kepu run as they did.

Back on topic, QC (Quade Cooper) is important. Picking the best specialists in certain positions is important. We have depth in some (lock), and are already minus our best in others (LHP), so there are two places where it really counts.

5/8: We struggle to find another specialist, much as Gits wants to be one. Barnes is broken and his game control is biased towards kicking. Beale really could be but he is so good at 15.

Pocock, Robinson, Hodgeson.... The breakdown is so vital that someone that cheats sorry competes in the most effective way allowed on the day makes or breaks your ball, and that of the opposition. Pocock is head and shoulders above the others. Robinson is not pretty but gets in there. Hodgo was invisible.

So - QC (Quade Cooper) or Pocock? We're in trouble minus either of them.

 

[Richo]

Super Rugby isn't Test match rugby. I don't think the Wallabies can get away with the Reds approach in the pack. But they could certainly use some of that cohesion. We'll see this weekend when the A team plays whether Sunday was a one-off or endemic.

 

[jay-c]

considering barnes is injured and one head knock away from retiring, quade cooper is surely the most important
every other option for aus hasnt even played 10 all year for their province

 

[Reddy!]

Let's go on a trip to memory lane, 2009. The Wallabies, arguably, had one of the best scrums in the world during that year, we had very dominate forwards. Had both Smith and Pocock. But the backline was pants! We couldn't score tries, we couldn't create anything. Guess who was flyhalf - not QC (Quade Cooper) that's for sure. He was only playing inside centre by the end of the year.

The forwards can be fixed, we can bring in QLD Reds legends Horwill, Samo and Slipper and world famous water boy Pocock and we will see a remarkable improvement in the tight work, but Quade Cooper provides the forwards incentive to work. Work your guts out and get it Quade and enjoy watching a bloke win games on a lazy saturday night because he feels like it. Not joking either. The forwards aren't too enthused when they bust their guts and dish it out to Giteau to crab it into the sideline with Davies attached.

Now don't even get me started on Quade Coopers marketing benefits he provides the ARU. Easily the most popular rugby player in Australia. No Quade Cooper, and you get 29,000 turn up at Olympic Stadium. Very poor turn out.

 

[Slim 293]

The Wallabies would've still lost yesterday if Cooper had of played...

 

[Richo]

Actually, 29,000 is a good turn-out for a game against Samoa. Especially since the weather was pretty gross in the morning, with rain and lots of cloud.

Also, the atmosphere at the ground was great.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Actually, 29,000 is a good turn-out for a game against Samoa. Especially since the weather was pretty gross in the morning, with rain and lots of cloud.

Also, the atmosphere at the ground was great.

Even more so for a Sunday afternoon.

 

[daz]

Cooper would have added little to this game, I suspect. We couldn't break through the Samoan line so all the fancy footwork and kicks would not have been terribly effective.

As for Pocock, I agree he would have had some impact on the game, but frankly we got fucking smashed at the breakdown and the only thing I could see happening is that Pocock would have been clobbered.

Better to save both of those guys (and others) for the up-coming heavy duty stuff.

 

[Slim 293]

I don't even know if Pocock would've made much of a difference without the support of his forwards.

It's like watching the '07 QF against England again with George Smith fighting it alone at the breakdown while the English steamroll over the top...

 

[RugbyReg]

THe Aussies were predictable in the backline and Samoa picked them off easily. The only two that troubled them were Kurtley and Digby. Quade would have as well, and made a huge difference. As would have JOC (James O'Connor).

In the end though it was the lack of impact/aggression/commitment/muscle in the pack that cost us.

 

[Swat]

considering barnes is injured and one head knock away from retiring, quade cooper is surely the most important
every other option for aus hasnt even played 10 all year for their province

Ummmm... J'OC?

 

[jay-c]

Ummmm... J'OC?

yehyeh JOC (James O'Connor) has played there the most but even still played 12 and 15 too>> point i was trying to make was quades the only one thats played there week in week out

 

[No4918]

I'll agree Quade is the most important with Genia very close behind. He made Phipps look like a 2nd string club player when he got on.

RR - predictable is an understatement. McCabe needs to learn to pass if he wants more mid field time. He was solid and prob only behind Diggers as far as the run on backs performed but higher ranked sides are going to have players lining up to smash him if he doesn't introduce some variation in his came. The Wobs losing this WC in the mid field is looking more likely.

 

[Slim 293]

I'll agree Quade is the most important with Genia very close behind. He made Phipps look like a 2nd string club player when he got on.

RR - predictable is an understatement. McCabe needs to learn to pass if he wants more mid field time. He was solid and prob only behind Diggers as far as the run on backs performed but higher ranked sides are going to have players lining up to smash him if he doesn't introduce some variation in his came. The Wobs losing this WC in the mid field is looking more likely.

This is getting a little tiring.

 

[Swat]

yehyeh JOC (James O'Connor) has played there the most but even still played 12 and 15 too>> point i was trying to make was quades the only one thats played there week in week out

Fair deuce, I spose I only interjected there because in my eyes JO'C is far and away the #2 5/8 in the country, I think deans needs to bite the bullet over his issue with size and start getting J'OC playing in the centres ASAP, not just for the future. Have a look at JO'Cs season highlights that were put up a week or two ago, he is currently playing better in the centres than any of those who lined up in the starting side yesterday. Far and away

 

[Joe Blow]

Our forwards were getting smashed and Phipps was taking us back further under pressure. His first movement was sideways or back and his clearance was often too slow and interrupted more than a few times. Behind the same pack Genia stood his ground at the base and moved forward first every time and only released the ball at the appropriate time.
Burgess is also very fast and aggressive at the breakdown. He is tailor made for a game like that in a Nick Farr Jones kind of way.
He always impacts a game off the bench. We will miss him a great deal while he is unavailable.

 

[tigerland12]

How long is Burgess out for? He is a great bench option

 

[cheezel]

McCabe reminds me of Staniforth. He would suit playing outside Quade very well.

 

[barbarian]

McCabe reminds me of Staniforth. He would suit playing outside Quade very well.

Great comparison. I am a fan of McCabe (as I was Staniforth) and think he did all that was asked of him on Sunday. Yes he didn't pass much, but in every case the pass was not on. We were going backwards and what was needed was a solid truck up the guts. The thing that worried me was that he rarely looked like breaking the line, but I suppose he was running into an angry Samoan brick wall. Hopefully he gets another chance against the Saffers to show us what he has got, because his defence impressed me.

 

[Godfrey]

This is getting a little tiring.

Repeating the same old criticism against the same player repeatedly despite evidence to the contrary is tiring is it? I hadn't noticed - I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of your 42,000 posts doing the same thing regarding Higginbotham.

That being said, I do agree with you that a lot of the criticism McCabe is getting is unfair - he went out there and did the job he was told to do (I assume) and did it really well.